Poetry for Publication—No. 2

We can only extract from the depositories of our minds what has previously been de­posited there. Every verse or poem is made up of material from the mind of the writer. And that material didn't "just come." It has been obtained in one of three ways—by educa­tion, observation, or experience.

So-called poetic "inspiration" is nothing more than the coming to the surface of some idea, or chain of ideas, perhaps long dormant. These may have undergone such fusion with other ideas, over a period of time, that the writer long ago forgot where he acquired them. Through association of certain events or cir­cumstances, they are recalled and made to serve the present need. To have fresh, vital stores from which to construct our poetic prod­uct, we should read good, informative litera­ture; keep our eyes, ears, and minds keenly observant to what goes on about us; and make notes of interesting and unusual things or occurrences with which we come in contact. These notes should be kept in systematic order.

A beautiful landscape, the remark of a friend, a sentence from a sermon or lecture—any of these may set in motion the train of rhythmic thought which later produces the poem. The resultant poem may seem to have no apparent connection with the thing or cir­cumstance which awakened the particular train of thought. We all know how our thoughts and our conversations lead on, one to another, until we often find ourselves far from the point at which we started. When a poem "comes" through some such circumstance, it is not an inspiration, but the logical and sys­tematic working of the human mind and emo­tions.

A poem is a literal physical document in writing, containing some particular thought or idea which has occurred to the author, and of which he is enamored to the extent that he wishes to preserve it, either for his own private enjoyment, or because he hopes that it may give help or pleasure to others. There is noth­ing strange or nebulous about such writing, nor are those who indulge in it necessarily queer, or a bit twisted mentally. If such is the case, the person suffers from a physical or mental handicap, for which poetry is in no way responsible, and of which it is not the result. The sooner the general public recognizes the art of poetry for what it is, and puts it on the practical plane, where it belongs, the sooner this art will command the respect it deserves, and fulfill the mission for which the Creator of all good and beautiful things intended it.

There is much real poetry that actually has come by divine inspiration. It is contained in the Book of books, and was given for the up­lifting, the enjoyment, and the salvation of human beings. All poetry should contribute to one or all of these ends.

In this connection I wish to express an opinion with which some may differ. It is my honest belief that much of the so-called poetry that appears in religious publications through­out the country should never have found its way into print. The majesty and holiness, the infinite tenderness and mercy, of the Creator of the universe, and the unspeakable heights and depths of the riches of the gospel of His Son, are subjects that deserve the utmost dig­nity and beauty of treatment, the loveliest similes and metaphors, and the most excellent English that it is possible for the human mind to conceive. This does not mean that such poems may not be simple and understandable enough for the most humble and uneducated to appreciate, as the greatest dignity is often found in the greatest simplicity. But it does mean that anything in the way of writing that has to do with the Deity, or God's wonderful plan of salvation, should never be handled in a common or trite way.

High Standards for Religious Poetry

Religious magazines should have the highest literary standards, as well as the highest moral standards, of all printed material. Many such magazines, while requiring high standards for their prose content, are very lax in the matter of the verse they use. This may be partly due to the fact that much poetry is not paid for, while a great deal of prose is. Another reason may be the feeling that subscriber contributors, for some reason or other, should have their offerings printed. As far as the subscriber con­tributor is concerned, this is a very selfish viewpoint. From the editorial standpoint, it is hardly fair to other subscribers who are paying for the best the editor is able to give them.

In all humbleness I ask, Should not the message we represent—whether it is presented in prose or in poetry—be clothed in the most beautiful, the most attractive, the most appeal­ing literary garments of all printed communi­cations?

How can this goal be achieved? The editor alone cannot achieve this goal. The message must be written by those who have studied it, who are familiar with its countless facets and extensive ramifications; those who have a clear conception of its teachings and responsibilities; those whose love of its Giver prompts them to heed His admonition to go into all the world. This "going" may be through the printed page, as verily as in person, and as effectually. Those who "go" by way of the printed route are as responsible for the manner in which they approach their hearers, as are those who sail across oceans to give the message by word of mouth.

How, then, can we, who are confined to cold black letters on a white page, do our part most effectively ? There must be power and charm in the printed word to supply the lack of the warm, living spoken word, the persuasive tones of the fervent, pleading voice, the firm, uplift­ing touch of the Christian handclasp.

piece of writing, no matter how mechan­ically perfect, may still be dull and lifeless. The human body, without breath of life and dignity of character, is cold and unresponsive. This is also true of the poem which lacks that illusive something which appeals to the spirit as well as to the intellect. Before the author can give a message to the reader, he must have a message to give. It must be taken from his own mind and heart—warm, vital, arresting. Only the Spirit of the living God can teach us that phase of writing technique. But the mechanics of verse technique we can, and should, learn through our own efforts. There are many fine and comprehensive books on this subject. ( See bibliography at end of series.) Many of these may be obtained from the public libraries.

It is not possible, in such limited space, to go into the subject of verse technique to any con­siderable extent. We will try, however, to give a few fundamental principles and a few stand­ards by which the poet can measure his own product before submitting it to an editor.

We have found that the poet must first have something to say. Most things have already been said. In order to attract and hold the attention of his audience, he must say the thing in a fresh, new, original way. A diamond is a precious jewel, no matter in what shape or setting. But how much more attractive and desirable it is when it is cut, polished, and set in a mounting of exquisite charm and originality.

Space and time are both at a premium in this speed-mad age; so the poet must say what he has to say as briefly as possible, else the editor will not give his poem room, and the reader will not pause to read it to the end. And it must meet, as nearly as possible, the generally accepted standards of verse tech­nique.

Two Types of Verse Writing

There are many types and "schools" of verse writing today, but most of that which is printed falls under one or two heads—patterned verse, and cadenced, or free, verse.

Candenced Verse or Poetic Prose.—Ca­denced verse is the form in which most Biblical poetry is written. It is a sort of poetic prose, or prose poetry. It has a rise and fall of rhythm more melodic than prose, but with no definite or fixed rhythmic pattern. Sometimes rhyme is used, but more frequently it is not. When rhyme is used, it does not follow a definite design, as in patterned verse. Bibli­cal poetry is divided into what are called strophes and antistrophes. A strophe is a part sung by one section of singers, and another section answers with the antistrophe, after the manner of a responsive reading. The beauty of language, the rhythmic rise and fall of ac­cent, lift this type of writing from the realm of prose into that of poetry. There are many excellent examples of cadenced verse in the poetry of the Scriptures. The Psalms, the book of Job. Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Sol­omon are especially rich in this kind of poetry.

"0 worship the Lord

In the beauty of holiness."

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors ; 

And the King of glory shall come in."

"The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green Pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters."

Patterend Verse has Rhyme.—Patterned verse follows a definite pattern as regards rhythm and rhyme. The pattern of the rhythm is measured by poetic feet. A poetic foot con­sists of a certain number of syllables, or beats, some accented and some unaccented. The number of beats, and the placing of the accent, determine the type of poetic foot, and its name.

Four Most Common Poetic Feet

Although there are many kinds of poetic feet, the four most frequently used are as follows:

The iambus. This foot has two syllables, or beats, with the accent on the second syllable. Examples again, regret, the man, look up.

The trochee. This foot is just the opposite of the iambic foot. It has two syllables, but the accent is on the first syllable, or beat. Examples: reason, tarry, give me, will you.

The anapaest. This is a foot of three beats, or syllables. The accent is on the last. Examples: overwhelm, entertain, he has gone, I am late.

The dactyl. The dactyl also has three sylla­bles, or beats, but is the reverse of the anapest, as the first syllable is accented. Examples: wonderful, clarify, Bob did it, you take it.

The majority of poems are written in iambic measure. The trochaic is the next most com­monly used measure. A poem is said to be written in a certain meter when the bulk of it is measured by a certain type of foot. But although the ,poem is generally iambic or trochaic, or any other particular measure, it may, for the sake of beauty or to avoid monotony, have here and there a foot of a different type. This is permissible if it is done inten­tionally, and without causing the rhythm to stumble or halt.